


When the Sun kisses the Moon

by lameillusions



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Gran-Gran is on a mission to fatten up the Fire Lord, Hakoda has adopted Zuko, Parental Hakoda (Avatar), Post-Canon, Post-War, Southern Water Tribe, Zutara, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020, and most importantly fireflakes, kids love Druk and Zuko, zuko doesn't trust fortune tellers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lameillusions/pseuds/lameillusions
Summary: A set of oneshots written for Zutara Week 2020
Relationships: Aang & Iroh (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Druk & Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara (Avatar), Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Ursa & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 174





	1. Day 1: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire Lord Zuko gets drunk, burns his official clothes, and finally accepts to go on vacation. In that order. Meanwhile, Katara awaits a letter.

_Dear Katara,_

_I’m happy to hear your students aced their finals, though I’m not really all that surprised. You are a great teacher. After all, you managed to teach Aang waterbending in a matter of months. I love the kid, but let’s be honest, he wasn’t the best student, was he?_

_If teaching doesn’t work out for you, however, you are most welcome to join my cabinet of ministers. Yesterday, the cabinet took under analysis the proposal for the changes in the justice system. Following your advice, I was able to convince them to pass it. A working group has been created to smooth out the details. With Agni’s blessing, the changes should be implemented in a month or two._

_Aang came for a visit a week ago, straight from Ba Sing Se. As you can imagine, he also brought Uncle. Together they have been pestering me for days about taking a vacation. Apparently, working nonstop for three years is not healthy for the mind or body (Uncle) and I have grown too serious and have forgotten how to have fun (Aang). I have never been more thankful for my ninja abilities (don’t let Sokka know I referred to them as such, please and thank you)._

_Both Aang and Uncle have been conspiring. They cornered me with drinks yesterday to celebrate the passing of the proposal. I may have gotten drunk on sake and I may have accidentally set my Fire Lord robes on fire. I may have also agreed to take a vacation in front of them and a whole bunch of other people who also shared the opinion that I need a vacation. When I woke today, my bags had already been packed and Aang and Uncle kept giving me triumphant grins over breakfast. The joke is on them because I’m Fire Lord and I have no intention of moving from the palace until the details of the proposal have been approved and the changes implemented. My bags are now being unpacked by scowling servants who keep giving me the stink eye much like Aang._

_Uncle, now thoroughly used to my antics (his words), has told me I have a month to get my affairs in order and be on my way or he’s throwing me out himself. At least, now I have time to plan a vacation._

_What about you? Are you planning on spending winter on the South Pole?_

_Yours,  
Zuko _

———

_Dear Zuko,_

_My political prowess is solely a product of being Sokka’s sister. I’m a master at getting idiots to do what I want them to. From your letter, it seems like Aang and Uncle Iroh have yet to master such an ability. And, yes, they are absolutely right. You need a vacation!_

_Let me make one thing clear, though; if you do not visit me, next time I see you, I will ice you to a tree, Zuko!_

_We’ve got one more month to go before winter, so we’re swamped with preparations. I don’t know if I will pass winter here, though. Truth be told, I have come to love the sun a little too much and I don’t know if I can take months at a time without it. Sokka has also made plans to leave for Kyoshi Island in three weeks. He will spend the winter there with Suki._

_And, before you even think to ask, the tribe has more than enough to pass the winter comfortably. Trade with the Fire Nation has proved most fruitful. I cannot believe I’m saying this, but it seems like your beloved fireflakes have become the newest hit. Even Dad has taken a liking to them. Though I have yet to see someone (besides you, that is) eat fistfuls of them at a time. Sokka may have mentioned your habit to Bato, who felt he had to try it. He will vehemently deny it if asked, but there was a lot of mouth-fanning and tears. It only stopped after Gran-Gran brought out the milk. Needless to say, Bato has a newfound respect for you._

_Say hello to Aang and Uncle Iroh for me. And don’t forget what I said about the tree. I’m more than serious. You do not want to feel my wrath._

_Love,  
Katara _

———

Katara is not sulking. Absolutely not, no matter how many times Sokka says it. She is a Master Waterbender and a war hero and she has important things to do and she does not sulk. She is most certainly not sulking because a certain Fire Lord has failed to reply to her letter and might have already left on his vacation without a plan to visit her. That is ridiculous. 

So what if she has started spending time on the newly constructed harbor? So what if she keeps an eye out for a messenger hawk? So what if her heart speeds up every time she catches sight of a Fire Nation ship? That does not mean anything.

A snowball slams into the side of her face, jostling Katara from her thoughts. 

“Sokka!” She bends a wave of icy water from the ocean straight onto her stupid brother, who shrieks in protest. “Serves you right for picking a fight with a waterbender next to the sea, you idiot!”

He stares down at his wet parka in dismay. “But you were sulking—”

Katara, who was in the process of bending the water out of his clothes, sends the water back at him. Again. “I was doing no such thing!”

“Aw, Katara, you are going to ruin my favorite parka!”

“Well,” She fights to keep the annoyance from her voice as she bends Sokka’s clothes dry. The last thing she wants is to get him sick. She knows she will have to look after him and a sick Sokka reaches peak levels of insufferableness. “You ruined my morning.”

“No, it’s my fault for wanting to cheer you up,” He laments with an exaggerated pout, looping their arms together and leading her away from the water and further into what has, in the span of these last three years, become a city, rather than the little village they grew up in. “Nonetheless, as the best big brother in the entire world, I have prepared a gift for you.”

“A gift?”

“The best gift,” Sokka declares magnanimously. “Since I will be leaving in a few short days and we won’t see each other in a while, I thought I would spend some time with my little sister.”

“How generous of you, Sokka.” Katara may still be a little upset with him.

He doesn’t get to reply to that as something giant blocks the dying rays of the sun. Both siblings look up sharply, catching sight of a serpentine shape whizzing past in the apricot-colored sky, eliciting surprised shrieks from the tribespeople. Katara and Sokka exchange dumbfounded looks before sprinting after it. The snowy clearing before the communal house, a looming structure made of ice, is swamped with people trying to get a better look.

The siblings push through the throng, Katara already feeling for her element and Sokka gripping the handle of his space sword. When they reach the front, they both gape.

“It’s the Fire Lord!” Lee or, as Sokka likes to call him, foaming-mouth-guy, from Kyoshi Island, screeches, holding onto his wife, Aga, already foaming at the mouth from excitement. “And a dragon!”

A thud, followed by Aga’s exasperated sigh.

Katara is not paying attention. She can’t because as Lee so eloquently put it, in front of her stands a majestic being that can only be a dragon, red scales glinting in the dying sun, and astride said dragon is Zuko, bundled in the parka Gran-Gran had made him last year, with a sheepish smile on his face.

She doesn’t know where to focus or how to proceed. Katara has daydreamed plenty about this moment, mind you, but somehow a dragon had never been part of the equation. Neither had she accounted for how handsome Zuko had become. Or how much his long silky black hair suited him… Actually nothing about this situation had been part of her daydreams. 

He dismounts the dragon with the ease of practice and Katara finds that nothing much matters at this moment. Zuko is here and she hasn’t seen him in more than a year and she doesn’t care about anything else but hugging him and pulling him close. 

So Katara crosses the distance between them, kicking up snow, his name on her lips and she flings herself at him. Tui and La, she’s laughing, but there are tears in her eyes as she squeezes them shut, burying her face in the crook of his neck, and his arms come around her, his voice a low rasp of _Katara, Katara, Katara_ on her ear and they’re finally reunited. 

“Katara, leave some for me!”

Zuko laughs as she pulls away to glare at Sokka. It’s a glare without any heat; she can’t find it in herself to be mad when joy has heated her blood and lifted her spirits. Both men hug, slapping each other’s backs good-naturedly before Sokka starts asking about the dragon. _Took him long enough._

“This is Druk,” Zuko says and behind him, the beast puffs out his chest proudly. Katara can’t contain the smile that surfaces at the sight. _The proud Fire Lord and his proud dragon._

All around them, the kids stare and whisper in awe, hanging onto their mothers. Zuko gives the dragon a gentle pat in his flank, smiling at the tiny admirers. 

“And he loves kids.”

Three words are all it takes for the children to break free from their mothers with shrieks and peals of laughter as Druk lowers himself on the snow, letting them clamber onto his massive body without a sign of protest. He’s not the only target of their affections, however; many kids, some of which Katara’s students, swaddle around Zuko with shouts of _Flameo Hotman_ (as the great and mighty Avatar had enthusiastically taught them). 

The smile threatens to tear her face in two as Katara sees Zuko being tugged down by his parka by elated children, a soft smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he regales his little fans with tales about Druk and bags of fireflakes, which make him even more sought out by the children. 

“Fire Lord Zuko?”

The flurry of activity around him and the dragon stops as Hakoda steps out from the communal house, surveying the scene with visible confusion. He doesn’t get to do much else, though, as Druk rounds on him and gives him a happy lick. Hakoda gives a hearty laugh, patting the dragon on the nose, shocking both Katara and Sokka. 

“Is that you, Druk? Aren’t you a big boy now, buddy?” He turns on Zuko, smile just as bright, and pulls him into one of his bear hugs. “Welcome, son.”

“Thank you, Hakoda.”

The people start dispersing, men and women dragging their children away and going back to work at her father’s order. Zuko takes his knapsack off of Druk then nods to him. The dragon stretches his wings out and flies off with a loud cry in the direction of the water. Probably for some food. 

“Dad,” Sokka calls out, “you knew Zuko had a dragon? And you didn’t tell me? What about you, jerkbender?”

He rounds on Katara. “Did _you_ know, Katara? Did everyone but me know?”

“Calm down, son. I met Druk during my last visit in the Fire Nation, when he snuck into my rooms,” Hakoda says, shaking his head with a fond smile. “He was smaller than a polar bear cub.”

“Yeah, he was,” Zuko agrees. 

This completely bamboozles Sokka. “The gigantic dragon that we just saw was as small as a polar bear cub a few _months_ ago?”

Zuko shrugs. Hakoda rolls his eyes and starts leading everyone towards the family igloo. “My mother is going to be delighted to see you. Especially in that parka.”

Gran-Gran pushes aside the entrance's fur at that moment. “I thought I heard someone mention that the Fire Lord was in town. I didn’t believe it, of course, that boy hasn’t— oh!”

At her words, to Katara’s absolute delight, Zuko turns a shade of red bright enough to rival that of the flag of his country. He starts to sputter some excuse to the old woman, bowing profusely and Katara finds the scene reminiscent of Kanna and Zuko’s first encounter after the end of the war, with her Gran-Gran acting mad and him apologizing repeatedly and bowing low. 

“Stop apologizing, boy and come give me a hug. Is that parka loose on you? Zuko, how many times do I have to tell you to take care of yourself?”

“Loose?” He squeaks, pulling back to pat his stomach. “If anything, it’s feeling a little tight!”

“It had better!” Kanna admonishes, pulling him inside. Katara fights off a smile as she hears her next words. “Now, have you eaten anything today?”

———

Katara manages to catch a moment alone with Zuko hours later. She takes him outside the city walls, eager for some time without people around. They don’t venture too far, choosing instead to settle on a cliff overlooking the crystalline water. 

“You didn’t write back.” The words bubble out of her as she studies the horizon. 

“I did, actually.” Zuko pulls out a roll of parchment bearing the royal seal. “It would have arrived after me.”

Katara raises an eyebrow. “So you wrote me a letter and didn’t send it.”

He jumps up and executes a low bow, presenting the rolled parchment with much flourish. “A letter for the esteemed Lady Katara.”

She accepts it with a giggle and gently breaks the seal. As Zuko settles down beside her again, she leans into his warmth and starts reading. 

_Dear Katara,_

_The first item on my agenda is visiting you. And that has nothing to do whatsoever with your threats of freezing me to a tree._

_To Uncle’s absolute delight, the working group is almost finished with the justice reform and it seems like I will have to be on the move much sooner than predicted. I have started spending my evenings planning this trip. There is one thing I really want to do (besides seeing you again, that is), but I don’t know if I can do it alone. Or if anything is going to come out of it. I’m scared to even put the words on paper._

_I wish you were here. Besides your ability to get idiots to do what you want them to, you are also the only one who can settle my doubts and stop me from overthinking. Agni, I miss you._

_Hopefully, I will see you in a fortnight. When I do, I want to ask you something._

_Yours,  
Zuko _

Katara carefully folds the letter, the motion achingly familiar, before slipping it in her pocket. She has every single letter Zuko has ever written her, placed in her mother’s carved wooden box. This one will join them, too. 

“I missed you, too,” Katara says, breaking the silence. She leans further into his warmth. “What did you want to ask?”

Zuko stays silent for a long while, golden eyes focused on the line where the sky kisses the sea. Katara takes the time to study his profile; the molten gold of his eyes, the elegant shape of his nose, the sharp angle of his jaw. And beneath those familiar lines, she can see the inner turmoil. 

“Hey,” She whispers gently, turning his head towards herself, leaving him no choice but to look at her. “It’s me. You can talk to me.”

His golden eyes harden in determination and he nods. “I want to find my mother. Will you help me, Katara?”

“You don't have to ask, Zuko.”


	2. Day 2: Counterpart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara strike a deal. An Earth Kingdom soothsayer ships Zutara.

“Absolutely not.”

“Please.” Blue eyes peer up at him and Zuko, the Fire Lord and proud father of a dragon, feels his resolve weakening. Katara pounces. “Please, please, please, Zuko.”

She’s won but Zuko doesn’t give in just yet. “They are glorified scammers, Kat. Uncle had a weird fascination with them and over the span of three years, I had  _ forty-two _ alleged “fortune-tellers” look me in the eye and tell me my aura is grey and that I will be angry and grumpy. If that is what you want to hear, we’re about a day and a half long flight from Kyoshi Island. We can go talk to Ty Lee. I’m sure Druk won’t mind the exercise.”

Katara regards him with a critical eye, hands on her hips. Judging by the way she’s scrunching up her nose and chewing the inside of her cheek, her signature thinking face, he knows she’s trying to come up with a way to make him cooperate. Zuko idly wonders if this is the day Katara finally claims her revenge and ices him to a tree. A quick survey reveals there are none in the immediate vicinity, though he reckons that if she’s made up her mind, the side of  _ Renshu, the Soothsayer _ ’s building would do just fine.

“Okay,” She finally says, crossing her arms over her chest, making no moves for the water skins at her sides.  _ Thank Agni.  _ ”Fine. I will make you a deal.”

That, Zuko most certainly was not expecting. Deals with Katara have a way of working out in her favor while benefitting him, too. Like that one time when he failed to finish his helping of sea prunes at the gala for the Second World Peace Summit and, as a result, had to help her come up with and execute a dance. 

“What deal?”

“We go in there—” She points towards the building bolstering the piece of wood where the words  _ Renshu, the Soothsayer _ have been calligraphed in an elegant script. “—and if the guy says the same thing as the previous forty-two have, I will tell you what Aunt Wu said in my reading.”

His remaining eyebrow raises in disbelief. Ever since Zuko heard about Aunt Wu and how nice (Aang), delusional (Sokka) and knowledgeable (Katara) the woman was, he had wanted to know what predictions she had made about Katara’s future to earn herself such high praise and valiant defending against Sokka’s “science is superior” rants from the waterbender. But no matter how nicely he asked or how much he pestered her, Zuko could not get it out of her.

Normally, he wouldn’t have spared it a second thought—he was and still is of the same opinion as Sokka, yet Katara’s hesitance and the way she would blush and avoid his eyes made him irrationally curious. For her to bet such knowledge… Zuko hopes this Renshu guy is trash at what he does.

“And if he doesn’t?”

She smirks. “If he doesn’t, you will back me up when Sokka starts badmouthing Aunt Wu. Forever.”

“Deal.”

———

“Welcome to Renshu, the Soothsayer’s,” An enthusiastic clerk intones, waving them in. 

The smell of incense hangs heavy in the stale air of the front room, the curling smoke almost like a curtain that shrouds the surroundings in a shade of anonymity. Bamboo floors creak beneath his weight as Zuko follows Katara in, trying not to cough. Or sigh. He never thought he would voluntarily enter another one of these establishments for the rest of his life (and that still would be too short). At the clerk’s assurance that Renshu would see them soon, they settle on some cushions near the windows.

“This is the one time I wish I was an airbender,” Zuko mutters. “The Soothsayer must be so bad at soothsaying that he tries to choke his clients on incense smoke.”

Katara tries to stifle a giggle and shoves his shoulder lightly. “Stop it.”

“You better spend this time remembering exactly what Aunt Wu told you, Katara,” He taunts, a broad grin on his face at the offended look she shoots him.

The rice paper door behind the clerk slides open, cutting off whatever Katara was about to say and a middle-aged woman steps out, bowing in thanks to Renshu. From their position on the floor, neither Zuko nor Katara can see much, but as the woman turns around, wiping her teary eyes (from the smoke or the waste of money, Zuko can’t help but wonder) she catches sight of them and smiles wistfully.

“Oh, to be young and in love again!” She grasps Katara’s hands as they both get up. “I hope Renshu delivers good news about your future together, dear.”

And, before either of them can protest, she’s gone out of the door and they are being ushered into the inner room, where Renshu, a portly man not much older than Uncle, awaits them with a serene smile.

“Ah!” He says as they both bow, Katara an eager low bop and Zuko a grudging one. “The bender couple. I have been waiting for you.”

His words give both of them a stop. Zuko has half a mind to ask Katara if she’s made arrangements beforehand and is playing him, but that notion is quickly discarded as he catches sight of her genuine surprise. Their eyes lock.  _ The bender couple. _

He opens his mouth… to say they are not a couple? (No matter how much he wants them to be?) To ask how he knows they are benders? (Have they heard the Fire Lord and a Master Waterbender are in town?) Whatever he means to say is forgotten, however, as Katara intertwines their fingers together and smiles at the fortune-teller. She tugs them down on the cushions opposite him, placing their locked hands on her lap. 

“My  _ partner _ is quite skeptical of fortune-tellers,” Katara says, squeezing Zuko’s hand, shocking him.  _ What is she doing? _ “Maybe you will be able to change his perspective on the matter.”

Renshu strokes his snow-white beard with a noncommittal ‘hmm’, studying both of them. Zuko fights off a frown; beside him, Katara seems to have no such problem, maintaining a gentle smile. Seemingly making up his mind, he starts gathering up the face-down cards on the low mahogany table between them that Zuko had somehow failed to notice. 

“Might I suggest a different type of reading, then?” The deck of cards disappears on his wide sleeve. “Very rarely do I encounter bender couples, but when I do, I offer to read their future together. Through their bending.”

This visit has completely gone off the rails, yet Zuko finds he doesn’t want to leave. His hand is still in hers, the tangle of digits still in her lap. They are sitting in this tiny room in front of a fortune teller in the depths of the Earth Kingdom, acting like a couple and he doesn’t want the act to end. Scratch that, he wants it to be real. And, though he will never admit it out loud, he is interested to know what this portly old man has to say about the future of their romantic relationship. Even if there is no logical connection between it and their bending. Even if the man could be lying through his teeth to get some easy money. 

Katara is looking at him, eyebrows raised.  _ What do you think? _ Her blue, blue eyes ask.  _ Ready to start defending the honor of the fortune-tellers? _

_ I think he’s fishing for some easy money.  _ He replies to her look with one of his own. 

“Okay,” She declares brightly, rubbing circles with her thumb on the back of his hand. “What do you need us to do?”

“Simply bend your element. Leave the rest to me.”

They move simultaneously. Katara uses her free hand to uncork one of her water skins and bend the water out in a big glob; Zuko snaps his fingers and tongues of flame come to life on his cupped hand. Beneath the table, they squeeze each other’s hands. 

A tiny smile ghosts the corners of Renshu’s mouth. “Water and Fire. That is a most interesting combination. Counterparts. They compliment each other naturally. Many view them as opposites, contradictions of each other. However, what they fail to acknowledge is such a relationship can exist only between equals, elements that have the potential to balance out each other. What heals can also kill, what destroys can also give life. Where one burns, the other cools. Relationships are all about growth and support. It seems to this old man you have already learned this.”

He gestures to Katara. “You bend water, but there is a fire burning bright in you.”

“And you, young man, you bend a volatile element with the cool touch of control.” The soothsayer smiles. “Counterparts. The foundations of this coupling are strong, its future bright. Anyone with a pair of working eyes can see the strong connection between the two of you. There are few things truly eternal; your love amongst them.”

Zuko squeezes her hand again. It’s all he can do short of letting the words that have been simmering inside him ever since the Agni Kai out. Telling Katara the truth, confessing his feelings, it has to be special. She deserves it. And, even though he knows he’s lost the bet, he can’t help but think that he hasn’t, not really. Again, deals with Katara prove to be mutually beneficial.

“And since your partner was skeptical, this session is free of charge.” 

Katara laughs in pure delight as Zuko grossly overpays him.


	3. Day 3: Fuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara takes a trip down memory lane. She and Zuko spar. Druk thoroughly enjoys himself.

Their first sparring match was the explosive result of the fuse that had been lit at the moment of Zuko’s arrival at the Western Air Temple. Her anger had been simmering underneath her skin, a savage, dark thing prowling the recesses of her mind, protesting the Fire Prince’s admission into the group’s ranks so seamlessly after everything he’d done to them. After everything he’d done to  _ her _ . 

He didn’t deserve it. Their acceptance, their trust. Katara had learned that lesson the hard way when she’d opened herself up to him, when she had trusted the guy that had chased them across the world. Underneath Ba Sing Se, washed in the faint green glow of those crystals, she’d thought he’d changed. Gone was the tightly-coiled anger that seemed to sustain him; he’d shedded the mask of the loyal prince raised in the ignorant beliefs of an arrogant nation that believed it could do no wrongs and justified a bloody hundred-years war that had torn the world to shreds. Zuko had accepted the blow of her temper aimed at his country and his ancestors without protest. He had shown her that he knew what the Fire Nation was doing was wrong and unjustifiable. He had spoken of his own trauma, so similar to hers. How in its quest for power the Fire Nation had taken away his mother, too. And, damn her compassionate nature, Katara had extended an olive branch. Because in front of her stood a scarred, hurt boy, who knew fear and pain, but didn’t shy in the face of them. Deep, in her heart of hearts, she knew he would grow to be a better man than his nefarious ancestors, one that would, perhaps, were they able to bring an end to this nonsensical war, usher his misled nation and the world in an era of peace. 

Hope is a double-edged sword, Katara would soon come to learn. It shrouds the world in a shade of surrealism. It takes your hand and adamantly leads you down the road without letting you stop to consider where you will end up. Over the cliff’s edge or to your destination, it makes no difference. 

That day, she’d been forced over the cliff’s edge, the free fall a result of Zuko’s betrayal. Not a day had passed since when Katara hadn’t cursed her foolishness and naivety as she hunched over Aang’s battered body, coaxing him back to life. She had placed her trust in the future leader of a warmongering nation and in the process had almost lost the boy who shoulders the entire world’s hopes for peace. 

That wasn’t a mistake she would make again. 

The water leaped to her fingers, her command bleeding the fountain in one of the temple’s many courtyards completely dry. Across from her, Zuko widened his stance slightly but made no other moves to meet her fury. Instead, he observed her calmly and raised his hands placatingly. 

“I’m just trying to help.”

The low rasp of his voice grated on her nerves. It was all too much, Katara found. Months had passed since Ba Sing Se but his betrayal was still too raw of a wound and she couldn’t stand it anymore. She wanted him far away from there, somewhere his actions would not risk Aang or Sokka or Toph, and his words would not lull her into forgetting or forgiving. She could not sit back and act like everything was fine anymore.

There was something dark in Katara. She was aware of it, that seed that had been planted when she’d first laid eyes on her mother’s still cooling body. For years, it grew quietly in a corner of her, watching and waiting, sustained by the grief, fear, and anger that Katara ignored. She hated it and she was scared of it, but its fiery waves could seize her in their throes and make her do unimaginable things. Like bloodbend. 

It was this dark fury that made her shape the water in a slender whip and attack. 

“You want to help? Then be gone.”

Zuko sidestepped the whip at the nick of time, golden eyes wide in shock. “Katara, please,” He said as if she was being nonsensical, as if he wasn’t an untrustworthy, backstabbing traitor. 

Her laugh was a rough, mocking sound that rung out in the brisk night air. “You betrayed me. I trusted you and you  _ betrayed me _ !” 

She struck again. Again, he dodged.

“I’m sorry.” His voice broke, the truth heavy in the words. “I want to be better. I’m trying to be better.”

“You had that chance,” She brought down the water whip for the third time, the moonlight drawing stars along its edge. “And you threw it away!”

He rolled out away from her attack, still refusing to retaliate. The lack of fire only served to make Katara angrier. Zuko seemed intent on not bending. She sent the whip for his feet, he jumped; she sharpened the water into glinting icicles that drew blood, he dodged. A shriek of frustration slipped past her clenched teeth.

“Fight me, you coward!”

The words had the desired effect. 

“You want a fight, waterbender? Fine!”

Zuko launched forward, firing several blasts of fire. Katara recalled her water, coiling it tight into an icy shield, gritting her teeth against the impact. Then, with a controlled flick of her wrist, she created a roaring wave that swept the firebender off his feet and into a pillar. The impact elicited a grunt from him, but he was up the next second, tongues of flame licking at his fingers.

_ That is something we have in common. _ He’d said when she had spoken of her mother. That night, Katara discovered another thing they had in common: their tempers.

The night around them glowed with the orange of Zuko’s flames as pillars of opposing elements clashed with each other. Katara’s arms ached as she pushed with her water against him, against his flames, and sent the entirety of her anger into her bending. It was enough to overpower him, together with the boost of the moon. The water knocked him flat on the ground and promptly froze.

“Katara!”

She didn’t meet her friends’ eyes. Instead, she walked past them and into the bowels of the temple, drained of the anger and bone-achingly tired.

* * *

Thus began their daily sparring. It was an unspoken agreement between the two. They remained civil to each other during the day and at dusk, they fought until they couldn’t anymore. These were quiet affairs, these sparring sessions of theirs, where no words were exchanged. Katara liked it that way. Words seemed abundant when they were learning to read each other’s moves.

The day following Azula’s ambush at the temple, Zuko broke that rule.

“My uncle created a technique to redirect lightning by studying waterbenders,” He said quietly as she approached the little clearing atop the cliffs a little ways from camp, eyes focused on a small flame that danced across his fingers. “He told me that it is important to draw wisdom from many different places. ‘If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale.‘ He believes that a Master bender can become whole only by understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations.”

It gave Katara a pause, the revelation of such information from him. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because Ozai is not the only threat. If he falls, Azula will take his place. And she will make sure the Fire Nation continues on its warpath,” Golden eyes meet hers. “I have to stop her, but as it stands, I cannot do that. You saw what happened back at the temple.”

She had. Azula was terrifyingly good. Yet, something snagged at the back of her mind. 

“She had the upper hand,” Katara chewed on the inside of her cheek, recalling the blows exchanged between the siblings as they flew overhead on Appa. “Until you used  _ my _ waterbending move to stop her flaming kick.”

Zuko nodded. “We have been adapting forms to counter each other’s attacks for weeks now. A fusion of our bending styles would be the edge I need against Azula. A better understanding of the firebending style would also help you defeat us more easily, despite the comet.”

It was an interesting proposal. Katara could see how such knowledge could help them both in the long run. Even though just a few weeks ago, she would be loath to part with the knowledge passed only to waterbenders and would have most probably exploded in his face, her anger had slowly been tamed by the way he worried about Aang’s training, and how he still carried Toph around on his shoulders every time she asked, and how he sparred with Sokka and Suki, and how he quietly insisted on helping her with cooking and cleaning without being asked to. With a start, she realized  _ this _ was the boy she’d caught glimpses of in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. She didn’t trust him (and even then, something told her it was just a matter of time until she did), but he was trying. And at that moment, that was enough. 

“You didn’t execute it right.” Katara uncorked her water skin and wreathed her hands with it. “I’ll show you how it’s  _ properly _ done after I heal that burn on your side you’re trying to hide.”

Zuko had the decency to blush.

* * *

The fire whip cuts through the night air over her head with a whoosh and Katara can’t help the smile as she spins into his open side, gently bopping him with the blunt end of her icicle. 

“Got ya, Fire Lord,” She drawls with a teasing smile, bringing an end to the match that has been going on for three and a half hours. 

“Did you?” Zuko whispers in her ear, the rasp of his voice sending a shiver down her spine. His arms come up around her. “Are you sure, waterbender?”

Katara realizes her mistake a beat too late. “Zuko, don’t you da—“

He tickles her. From the sidelines, Druk snorts smoke in amusement from his perch spread out lazily over the grass. 


	4. Day 4: Celestial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara cuddle, stargaze and tell stories.

“We would lay down in her gardens, my mother and I, during clear nights and she would teach me all the constellations and regale me with stories about them.” They are laying on the open field, limbs tangled together, Katara’s head on his chest. Overhead, the night sky is covered in a blanket of twinkling stars. “Some of them, I think she made up. I was so eager to hear all sorts of stories, she must have run out of them at some point.”

Katara hums and twists to look up at him. “Do you know her favorite story?”

“I do.” Zuko spies the request in her blue eyes. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes, please.”

His eyes snag on the constellation and he points it out for her. His finger connects the bright dots; if he squints a bit, he can see the heart behind a triangle. “She loved the story about the Lovers’ constellation.”

If he focuses enough, Zuko can hear his mother speaking the words alongside him. If he closes his eyes, he may as well be back in those gardens, laying by the turtleducks’ pond with his mother. 

“ _ The story starts with Yachita, one of Agni’s rays. During the night, she removed her shining cloak and assumed a mortal form to roam the plains she lit during the day. She was curious to learn more about those whom Agni bestowed light upon and unsatisfied with what she could see from her celestial perch. On the first night, she wandered across the Western Rainforest, climbing the gnarled trees and charming the wild, savage predators. On the second, she swam the Scaled Sea, riding the flying dolphin fish and diving with the manatee whales. On the third, Yachita ambushed the mortal man that had been following her the previous two nights. _

_ ‘Who dares follow me?’ Asked Yachita with a voice akin to the jaguars she had wrestled with.  _

_ The man kowtowed at her feet. ‘This mortal man whose heart you have stolen with your radiant beauty and your astounding bravery.’ _

_ The words placated the ray. ‘What do they call you?’ Her voice was as gentle as the lull of the sea she had swum. _

_ ‘Akihito, my Lady.’ _

_ Yachita knew she ought to send Akihito away. She was only allowed to roam the world if she kept away from humans.  _

_ ‘They are not jaguars you can play with,’ Agni had said. ’Nor are they fish that circle you in the water mindlessly. Humans are dangerous and, more times than not, ruled by greed and selfishness. You may go explore, Yachita, as long as you do not interact with them.’ _

_ Yet, Yachita was curious. Humans were Agni’s beloved creations; he had given them the gift of fire. Were they truly that dangerous? _

_ ‘What do you want with me, Akihito?’ _

_ ‘I wish for nothing but to observe my Lady,’ He replied from his kowtow, face still pressed on the floor at her feet.  _

_ Yachita couldn’t resist. ‘You may come under one condition, mortal Akihito; you must never interact with me.’ _

_ Then she turned to explore the beach.  _

_ And so, night after night, Yachita descended from the sky and explored the plains with her silent companion. Akihito never broke her rule, but, though they did not speak, Yachita found herself growing fond of him. Enough so, that when she donned her shining cloak, the ray would look for him and shine brighter when she found him.  _

_ On the eve of their ninth month of traveling together, Yachita climbed to the top of a volcano. She danced on the lip of the crater to the sound of the wind. As always, Akihito watched with awe in his eyes and love in his heart. However, on this night, the silence was broken by the awakening of the volcano. The earth shook beneath the ray’s feet and the heat from the imminent explosion singed her back. She lost her footing and a scream rang out as Yachita prepared to fall into the magma crater. Only, a hand slid around her waist and Akihito was there, pulling her away from the rim and the heat.  _

_ There was a determined spark in his eyes as he grasped her hands in his and, for the first time in nine months, spoke to her. ‘Lady Yachita, the volcano is about to erupt. Your patron, Lord Agni, has blessed me with the gift of fire. I believe I can buy enough time for you to warn the villagers and escape.’ _

_ ‘Akihito, no!’ _

_ ‘I have to, My Lady. I cannot let innocent people die when I can do something to help. You must warn them.’ _

_ ’You will die, you foolish mortal,’ Yachita, the bright ray of sun, cried.  _

_ He wiped her tears with a sad smile. ‘Then, I accept death with honor, My Lady. I love you.’ _

_ So, Akihito, the ray’s mortal companion, turned and left. Yachita cried as she ran, for she too had fallen in love with him, the selfless, kind man who was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others. She ran for the village Akihito was trying to save to make sure his sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain.  _

_ When the magma reached the village, it only burned wood and cloth.  _

_ Yachita climbed back onto the sky at the break of dawn, passing her sisters silently as she did, mind and heart with a man who was not anymore. Agni saw the sadness dampening her glow and heard the desperate plea his ray issued on behalf of the mortal man.  _

_ ‘You were wrong.’ Yachita’s tears gleamed like fallen stars. ‘He was selfless and kind. He gave up his life to save others. I love him, Father. Please, help me save him.’ _

_ ‘I told you humans are dangerous, my ray. Love is what makes them so dangerous. They are capable of doing everything for those they love.’ Agni collected her tears. ’It does you no good to be sad, my ray. Look how muted your glow is.’ _

_ ‘I cannot glow when the one I love is dead.’ _

_ ‘Death is imminent for mortals. Yet love for this mortal has made you my brightest ray.’ Agni thought for a minute. ‘Very well, Yachita. I shall restore the one you love, but because you broke my rule, there will be consequences.’ _

_ ‘Anything, Father. Please, as long as he lives.’ _

_ Agni regarded his ray’s tears. ‘I shall make a new constellation in the night sky with your tears, Yachita, where your mortal’s spirit shall live, as long as you descend on the mortal planes. Come dawn, he will assume his mortal form while you carry out your celestial duties. This is the price you have to pay, my ray. If you love your mortal and want him to live, you shall never meet him again.’ _

_ Yachita accepted her patron’s conditions and she donned her shining cloak, shining bright with love for Akihito. At night, she descended to the mortal plains, and, under his spirit’s watch from his perch amongst the stars, she continued to explore. _ ”

Zuko pointed out the pinnacle of the triangle. “That is the first tear she shed for Akihito in front of Agni. That’s where his spirit lives.”

“Wait,” Katara turns to look at him again, a dubious look in her eyes. “That’s it? That’s such a sad story. Why did your mom like it?”

“I don’t know. Whenever I asked, she got this sad look in her eyes and told me I was too young to understand.”

She links their fingers together and gives a squeeze. 

“Did your mom have a favorite story?” He asks. 

“Mhmm.” Katara rests her cheek on his chest. “Though it’s not about constellations, I’m afraid.”

Zuko coils one of her curls around his finger. “What is it about?”

“The first waterbenders and inhibitors of the South Pole. Though, she started loving it a lot more once it became obvious I was a waterbender.” She gives a little laugh. “In our tribe, myths and legends are passed down to the other generations orally. There are traditionally two storykeepers. During winter months, when we gather in the communal building—that used to be a giant hut when I was little, the storykeepers will spin tales of old about anything and everything. They are accompanied by tribespeople that sing and dance the stories that are being told.”

“Like a theatre play?”

She pauses. “Kinda, I suppose. Gran-Gran is one of our storykeepers. Every winter, mom would ask her for the tale of the first waterbenders and she would sing the song in the old tongue.”

The information causes him to raise an eyebrow. “Your mom could sing?”

“Depends on who you ask, really. Dad says she was terrible at it but I loved it when she sang.” Katara seeks out his gaze. “That most probably sounds stupid.”

“No,” Zuko rasps because he knows what she means. “I get it.”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Are you going to sing it?”

She laughs at that. “I take after my mom. You do not want to hear me sing. And besides, I don’t know the words. Though, Gran-Gran would love to have you there for one of her sessions. You can get the full experience.”

“I’d love to. Once I hear it from you, that is.”

“Well, I’m no storyteller, but I’ll try for you. 

_ This story has its roots in the Northern Pole, during a long-forgotten era. There lived our ancestors as does our sister tribe to this day.  _

_ It starts with a hunter, talented and hardworking. This hunter had fallen in love and as dictated by tradition, he went to ask for his beloved’s hand.  _

_ However, his beloved had just a mother and this mother was a cruel woman. She did not wish to give her daughter away to such a nice man; she did not wish her to find happiness when she herself hadn’t. And so, when the hunter came, the cruel mother told him he could have her daughter only if he brought his beloved a pendant carved from the tusk of a narwhal. The hunter accepted the condition and left their village to hunt the elusive narwhals, leaving his beloved with the promise of a better life.  _

_ With him gone, the cruel mother took her daughter to the icy cliffs outside the village, where she pushed her into the water. La, the ocean spirit, bore witness to the cruel mother’s actions and he was angered by them. When the girl hit the waves, La offered to turn her into a moonfish and give her the ability to control his waves so she could be able to find a safe place away from her cruel mother. The girl thanked the merciful spirit and fled as a moonfish, bending the waves as she did.  _

_ The hunter returned to the village to find his beloved gone. Clutching the pendant, he beseeched the moon spirit, Tui, for help in finding the girl of his heart. And because Tui had always helped lovers, she offered to turn him into a fleet-footed wolf so he could search the world for her. The hunter thanked the merciful spirit and started his journey as a snow-white wolf, searching for his beloved.  _

_ The girl turned moonfish swam the world’s waters; the man turned wolf ran the world’s continents.  _

_ The girl turned moonfish reached the other end of the world and stopped. She was still a moonfish, still she didn’t feel safe.  _

_ The man turned wolf reached the other end of the world and stopped. He was still a wolf, still he hadn’t found the girl of his heart.  _

_ The icy plains were deserted and the snow-white wolf bent over the edge of the ice to hunt for some fish. His eyes caught those of a moonfish and just like that, instead of a wolf, there stood a man. Instead of a moonfish, there swam a girl.  _

_ The man was overjoyed. Immediately, he gave the girl the carved pendant. Immediately, she said yes. Then and there, the first of our tribe promised to love and protect each other with Tui and La as their witnesses.  _

_ So fond were the spirits of this couple, that Tui let the man keep his wolf and La let the girl keep her moonfish and her power.  _

_ And their descendants were the snow wolves.  _

_ And their descendants were the moonfish.  _

_ And their descendants were the first waterbenders.  _

_ And their descendants were the first of the Southern Water Tribe. _ ”

“That was beautiful,” Zuko says, still playing with her hair. 

“I tried. The full performance is an absolute treat.”

He tugs her closer, humming in agreement. “I would love to catch it sometime.”

Katara looks up sharply, somehow knowing something is weighing on him. Zuko has no idea how she manages to read him so well (the same way he does her, one would guess) but, right now, he’s incredibly thankful for it. 

“We will find out what happened to your mother, Zuko.” From the determined look in her face, he has no choice but to believe her. “I promise.”

His face breaks into a smile. “I know. Between the two of us, we can do anything.”

Katara’s smile is the twin to his own. 

“Now,” Zuko points out another constellation; the dragon. “Do you want to hear the story behind that one?”


	5. Day 5: Hesitancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara find Ursa.

The early dawn light outlines Zuko’s frame, hunched over the map, and lost in thought. It takes a moment for Katara to come to, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes and stretching her protesting muscles that sorely miss the comfort of a mattress. 

“Zuko?” She calls with a worried frown. They’d had a late night last night, cuddling and sharing stories. She’d fallen asleep to his voice but, if the dark circles beneath those golden eyes are any indication, he hadn’t had the same luck. 

Zuko runs a hand across the surface of the map, tracing the ink that recorded their whole journey across the Earth Kingdom, following whispers of Ursa. His fingers stop on the day’s destination, forming the letters  _ Jinhai _ marking the town with elegant, well-practiced movements that she follows with her eyes before fisting his hand. “If we don’t find her here…” He says, voice breaking. 

Something in her heart breaks at the tone of his voice, the tentative hope that battles with the fear of being let down again. “Then we will look some more,” She says with conviction. “I cannot guarantee that we will find her, but I promised you we would find out what happened to her. It doesn’t matter if I have to walk every inch of this damn continent, Zuko, on Tui and La, I will keep that promise.”

She maintains eye contact for a long moment, trying to show those golden eyes that she meant every word she said. 

“You are amazing,” He breathes out, pulling her close and placing a tender kiss on her forehead. “I don’t know what Spirits I have pleased, but I will forever be grateful for you.”

Katara smiles, cradling his scarred cheek in her hand. The touch conveys emotions she doesn’t have the words for, yet it’s enough to make him understand. “Good. Now, let’s make some breakfast. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

Behind them, the mighty dragon stirs from his slumber, as if awoken by the prospect of food. She passes by him, giving him an affectionate nuzzle and cooing. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

Druk opens an eye to peer at her lazily, tongue lolling out in content as she scratches the spot beneath his jaw. Katara melts a little at the sheer cuteness, bestowing more pets on him. 

A snort of amusement rings out from the direction of the fire pit and both woman and dragon turn to glare at the firebender. She places both hands on her hips. “Something funny, Zuko?”

He lights the fire with a flick of his wrist and places the rice pot atop it. The smile that breaks across his face is a fond, soft thing. “No, not really. But that dragon needs to get a move on if he wants to fill his belly.”

Beside her, Druk huffs and stretches his wings. 

“Don’t take too long, buddy,” Zuko says, approaching to give him a pet. 

“And be careful!” Katara advises. 

“Try not to be seen.”

“And wash off the blood!”

Druk turns away with a groan and flies off. 

* * *

They set off at mid-morning. Due to the close proximity to the equator, winter in central Earth Kingdom territory is full of mild temperatures and furious rains. On the ground, the cold reminds Katara of the first few weeks of spring at the Pole, a stark contrast for someone used to winters with brain-numbing negative temperatures. 

However, seated upon Druk as the dragon flaps his mighty wings and ascends, Katara is incredibly thankful for two things: her parka and Zuko’s insistence she sits with him at her back. The firebender is a source of warmth against the biting winds of the high altitudes they climb to. Her cheeks ache and her eyes water, but a sense of freedom settles in her stomach and Katara feels untouchable as she clings to the reins and leans into Zuko. Happiness is an abstract, elusive thing, she thinks, yet, right now, at this moment, it takes shape; the open skies before her, the one she loves beside her, a world ready to be explored and improved beneath her. 

Flying on a dragon is a vastly different experience to flying on a sky bison, she has come to learn. It’s much more dangerous for starters. 

“Druk!” Katara screams, a white-knuckled grip in the reins as the dragon twists in the air, barreling through clouds, successfully wetting both of them. 

Zuko laughs in her ear, a low chuckle, his arms coming up around her to grip the reins, allowing her to bend the water from their hair and clothes. “He’s getting back at us for this morning.”

She snuggles back into him, huffing and tilting her head to speak in his ear. “Isn’t it a bit too early for his rebellious phase?”

The question only makes him laugh more. 

Another difference between a dragon and a bison is that the former is unnecessarily more fond of flying at breakneck speed than the latter. 

They reach the town in the late afternoon and Zuko lands Druk a safe distance away from the settlement. The dragon collapses on the ground, mouth hanging open in exhaustion. Katara bends water for him to drink while Zuko gives him affectionate pats wherever he can reach, with whispered ‘Good job, buddy!’ and ‘thank you!’s. 

Having received enough affection from them both (the dragon is a bit of an attention whore is what Katara has learned these past few weeks of traveling), Druk clambers to his feet and takes off in search of food, leaving her and Zuko to their task. They enter Jinhai as the sun burns the sky orange, halfway to its descent behind the mountains surrounding the valley. People blatantly stare and maybe it’s because, in their blue parkas, a Water Tribe woman and a Fire Nation man make for quite the sight. Or maybe they might not get visitors all that often. It’s not hard to believe, really. The mountains bracketing the valley make for an arduous and perilous climb and hardly anyone sails the eastern waters of the continent, especially this far away from Ba Sing Se or any of the other major cities. All in all, it makes for a great hiding place. 

The main street has been converted into a market of sorts, with stalls leaning against the sandy-colored buildings, characteristic of the Earth Kingdom. These late in the afternoon, merchants have already put away their wares and most of the stalls are empty, but Katara spies an elderly man manning one displaying all sorts of carved wooden figurines. As she watches, a child runs up to him, pointing to the carving of a wooden bird, rapidly chattering as he does so. The old man smiles and hands the carving over, accepting no money. 

“Come on,” She tells Zuko, starting for the man’s stall. 

“Good evening! What brings two young people to these parts? Is there something old Duyi can help you with?” 

Katara smiles. “Good evening, Duyi, my name is Katara, this is my boyfriend, Zuko, and we’re looking for his mom. Do you know of a Fire Nation refugee living in the area?”

“Her name is Ursa,” Zuko offers anxiously. “Though she may have gone by another name.”

“Well, I don’t know about an Ursa, but there is a Fire Nation refugee here. Ta Min came here almost six years ago, now. Such a kind woman,” Duyi remarks idly, rubbing his chin. Then, he turns to Zuko, studying him intently. “You do look like her, young man.”

“Where can we find her?” Katara poses the question because she doesn’t think Zuko has that capacity at the moment, shocked as he is at the possibility he might have found his missing mother. 

The old man points down the street. “She’s in the house by the beach. You can’t miss it.”

She looks over at Zuko, the way he has fixated on the distant glimmer of the water that can be seen between the buildings and the way his breathing is hard. Her hand seeks out his and gives a gentle squeeze. The gesture seems to calm him down somewhat, though not entirely. So, she buys some time. 

“The carvings are beautiful,” She says, eyes sweeping over the clean lines of the designs. “Do you make them yourself?”

“Sure do,” He gestures to the spread. “You can take whichever you like. I give them away for free.”

“For free? Why?”

Duyi smiles. “It gives joy to this old man to know his work is bringing smiles and brightening people’s days. That’s payment enough.”

“Is that the eclipse?” Zuko rasps beside her, picking up a carving made up of swirling lines depicting the moon, face pulled in a smile that manages to look teasing, in front of the left side of the sun, the visible part of its face also carved in an expression reminding Katara of the smile that had been on Zuko’s face that morning, when he’d looked at her and Druk. 

It is a stunning piece of work. She doesn’t hesitate to voice as much. 

“Thank you, darling! It is one of my favorites.”

Katara looks up at Zuko, assessing his face. “Shall we go?”

He nods mutely, placing the carving back. They thank Duyi, who smiles a smile full of childish glee as he bids them goodbye, as if he’s just learned something they have yet to. It makes Katara terribly curious, that smile of his as his eyes flit back and forth between her and Zuko, but she knows it’s not the time. If they truly have found Ursa, she can always pass by later. 

The street coughs them up by the beach and, true to the carver’s words, a house rises by the edge of the town, where stone makes way for sand. The stone structure, slightly away from the main crop of buildings and facing the ocean, makes her think of a younger Katara, waiting by the water’s edge for her father and the tribesmen, who had departed to fight the war. It’s a silly thought, but, somehow, it makes sense. 

They observe it for a while in silence. There are lights in the window and, from where they stand, a well-tended garden can be seen. Laundry waves on the chilling sea breeze from where it’s hung on lines, dots of green and brown with occasional blooms of red or white or pink. 

Katara turns to Zuko, reading the hesitation in the taut lines of his body. “Are you okay?”

His eyes don’t stray from the house. “No,” He croaks. “I’m scared. What will she think of me? I have done so many bad things. What if she hates me?”

_ Oh, Zuko. _

She pauses for a moment, thinking. Then, she speaks, voice gentle. “Yes, you have done bad things. Do you acknowledge them as mistakes? Have you learned from them?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re actively trying to be better?”

“Always.”

“Then, there is no way she can hate you.”

Zuko looks at her, then, a startled, vulnerable tint to his face. “How can you be so sure?”   
  
“We all make mistakes, Zuko. The fact that you have seen the fault in your actions and regret them, the fact that you have taken away lessons from them, the fact that you find the strength to be good, even though it’s hard and sometimes being bad is so much easier— all that speaks of growth and maturity. If anything, your mother will be insanely proud of that.”

He nods, but Katara can see there’s something else there, too, bothering him. Something about a certain princess. She had always had an inkling Zuko blamed himself for Azula’s breakdown, but he’d never wished to broach the subject and Katara hadn’t pressed. Now, though, it seems like he can’t bottle it in anymore.

“And if she blames me for Azula?”

It’s a delicate topic, the crazed Fire Princess. To this day, Katara can still hear her pained wails as she broke, and goosebumps rise to her skin just from the echo. She cannot imagine growing up as Azula did; how hard her life must have been after Ursa’s disappearance, and Zuko’s banishment, alone with Ozai, who most probably hadn’t shown her a shred of love and had only inspired fear in her. Her gut churns with pity. If anyone is to be blamed for Azula’s fate, that’s Ozai, not Zuko.

“I don’t think she would, Zuko, because what happened to Azula rests solely on Ozai.”

“I should have been kinder to her,” He says with a tired sigh, running a hand through his long hair. “I should have been a better brother.”

“Maybe,” Katara cedes because she doesn’t know much about the relationship between the two, except what little she’d witnessed prior to the Agni Kai and a few memories Zuko had shared with her. “But, you were still a kid yourself. And then Ozai banished you. You could have been kinder to her, yes and still, Azula would have had  _ three years _ alone with Ozai.”

He doesn’t speak for a long moment, as he processes her words. A determined spark enters his golden eyes, then and she knows she has assuaged his fears. He makes for the house in slow, steady steps. Katara hangs back, watching his back with a proud smile.

Zuko takes a few more steps before turning, shooting her a confused look. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh,” Her cheeks grow warm. “I thought you’d like to do it alone.”

“Katara, I want you with me every step of the way,” He smiles and extends a hand towards her.

The smile that tugs at the corners of her lips threatens to break her face in two and her heart flutters. She takes the steps forward, interlocking their fingers and allowing Zuko to pull her by his side. 

As they approach, the door to the house opens and a woman steps out, carrying a basket. Even from a distance, Katara can recognize her as the woman whose picture she knows for a fact Zuko has in his parka’s pocket. 

“Mom?” He rasps from her side, a death-grip she doesn’t mind on her fingers.

The basket slips from Ursa’s hold and her hands move to cover her mouth. “Zuko?”

“Mom!” His voice cracks from the weight of the emotions and then they are hugging and laughing and crying. Mother and son finally together. Katara wipes her own tears, heart light with happiness for both of them.

Ursa is the first to pull away, smoothing his hair back from his face gently. A shaky hand hovers over the left side of his face and tears race down her cheeks. “Oh, Zuko!” She sobs.

He grips her hand in both of his. “It’s fine, Mom. I’m fine, I promise.”

“It was Ozai, wasn’t it?” Zuko’s nod only elicits another sob from her. “I’d heard the rumors but I didn’t want to believe he would be so cruel to his own son. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Zuko. For any of it.”

“I wasn’t alone, Mom,” He reassures. “Uncle was with me the whole time. And, I had my friends.”

At that, he turns to Katara, locking his watery eyes with hers. Ursa follows his gaze.

“Oh!” She says, sniffling and offering her a smile. “Who’s this?”

“Mom, this is Katara, my girlfriend.” Zuko’s smile is radiant as Katara steps up next to him.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Lady Ursa.” She follows the words with a low bow.

Ursa returns the gesture, her smile growing wider. “It’s nice to meet you, too, dear. Come on in, both of you! You must be exhausted. Let’s catch up over some tea.” 


	6. Day 6: Affirm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa has a conversation with Katara.

Ursa finds the girl down by the water’s edge, playing with the fine grains of the white sand. Her son’s dragon (Agni, her sweet son who used to struggle with simple firebending forms is a Master Firebender with his own dragon) slumbers next to her, tail wrapped loosely around her in a protective fashion. It seems Druk shares Zuko’s love for her. 

“Is it true the first time you two met Zuko tied you to a tree or was my son having fun pulling my leg?” She sits down beside her on the sand, studying her profile. Her words startle Katara. 

Ursa had spent the past few days with her son and his girlfriend, hearing their story. Zuko had filled in everything she hadn’t been there for, all she had missed. It had been a tumultuous time for her, vacillating between heart-bursting happiness and bone-deep sadness. Hard as it had been, however, Ursa had grown incredibly fond of the waterbender as both she and Zuko spun their tale for her, volunteering each their own point of view for different events, unwittingly revealing to her the deep bond between each other. 

Still, she has a question or two for the girl cradling her son’s heart.  _ That’s what moms are like,  _ She had told Zuko all those years ago by the turtleduck pond.  _ If you mess with their babies, they bite you back.  _

“Well, technically,” Katara responds, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “The first time we met, Zuko sailed his ship straight through the outer wall of my village, manhandled my grandma, beat up my brother, and demanded we give up the location of the Avatar.”

“Are  _ you _ pulling my leg?” 

”I’m afraid not.”

Ursa looks towards the horizon, contemplative. “He chased you around the world?”

“Yes.”

“And he betrayed your trust?”

“Yes.”

“And you can still love him after all that?” She turns to look at Katara then, meeting her eyes. 

“Yes.” The affirmation is simple in its truth. 

“Why?”

There’s fire in her blue eyes, fire like the one her son bends, burning bright. “Because our story is more than just the bad. Because he chose to grow from his mistakes. Because he chose to do better. Because he chose to  _ be _ better. Because he is kind and caring and strong and passionate. Because he sees me for me, the good and the bad. Because he was there when I hit rock bottom and he didn’t think less of me for it. Because he helped me get closure about my mother. Because he jumped in front of lightning for me without an ounce of hesitation. Because he earned my respect, my trust, my friendship, and my heart. Because I’ve seen him at his worst and I’ve seen him struggle and I might love him all the more for it.”

Ursa smiles, taking the girl’s hands in hers. “I’m so glad you two have found each other, Katara.”

”Me, too.” 

And then, because Ursa knows the type of love they share, the type of man her son is… “Welcome to the family.”


	7. Day 7: Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ❝They are eternal; they have worn a thousand faces, they have borne a thousand names. They have loved each other a thousand times. They will a thousand more. Just as sure as the spark will light the flint, as the water will corrode the stone, their dance will continue.❞

They are eternal; they have lived a thousand lives, they have known a thousand eras. And in every single one of them, their destinies have been entangled. Just as sure as the moon’s effect on the waves, as the earth’s presence beneath each step, they have been together. 

They are eternal; the rebirth is their blessing. The Spirits themselves have bowed before their love. When one wore the skin of a hunter and the other that of his beloved, their love created a new people and their descendants live on. Like a pebble thrown in the water, the ripples of that lifetime caused by the choices they made within it (for the girl turned into moonfish, she took the powers La offered, and the man turned into wolf, he took the opportunity Tui offered) will continue to spread as long as the waterbenders bend, as long as the moonfish swim, as long as the arctic wolves run. 

They are eternal; the rebirth is their curse. The mountains themselves hollow before their love. When one wore the skin of a simple man and the other that of a simple woman, both hailed from two warring villages, their love ended in tragedy and the grief of losing her beloved carved a city in the mountains. Like the land stretching forever, even beneath the sea, the effects of that lifetime caused by the conflicts they tried to avoid (for they learned from the badgermoles how to hide the love they shared, too scared of separation to consider the alternative) will stretch on in time as long as the mountains stand, as long as the earthbenders bend. 

They are eternal; they have walked a thousand roads, they have made a thousand choices. Their love is that of the stories mothers spin by their children’s beds, that of the songs sung by traveling nomads. Just as sure as the sun’s rise from the east, as the air’s presence in the lungs, they have fallen in love. 

They are eternal; the rebirth is their curse. The Gods themselves become merciful before their love. When one wore the pelt of a sunray and the other that of a mortal man, their love created a constellation in the night sky. Like the molten core of the earth, from which volcanoes draw the force of their destruction, the heatwaves of the risks they took (for the ray risked her patron’s wrath in hopes of reversing death itself) will be felt as long as the volcanoes erupt, as long as firebenders bend, as long as the stars shine. 

They are eternal; the rebirth is their blessing. The distances themselves melt before their love. When one wore the skin of a rich merchant’s son and the other that of a common thief, their love taught lessons that became the basis of a new way of life. Like the air slipping through every crack, the whirlwind of change they fought for (for they willingly journeyed to the Spirit World to find each other and they gave up every worldly possession to be with each other) will whisper and scream of everything they learned as long as prejudice exists, as long as airbenders bend.

They are eternal; they have worn a thousand faces, they have borne a thousand names. They have loved each other a thousand times. They will a thousand more. Just as sure as the spark will light the flint, as the water will corrode the stone, their dance will continue. 

They are eternal; the rebirth is a curse and a blessing. This time, one wears the skin of the last Southern Waterbender and the other that of the Prince of the Fire Nation. Their love brings smiles and happiness to a nation previously ruled by greed and ignorance. Like a house built on solid foundations (for the changes they implemented around the world with the help of their friends were the first step in the eradication of a century of harm brought by the war), the by-product of the lifetime stained by war and spent for peace will exist as long as hope wins over despair, as long as love wins over hate. 

And so, the entire nation cheers as Fire Lord Zuko crowns Fire Lady Katara. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a little with this last prompt, not going to lie. I had many half-baked ideas on what I wanted to write about, none of which seemed good enough and for a moment there I contemplated not writing anything for day 7 (a split-second thought, really, because I'd already said I was going to complete all of the prompts for this year as it's my first time participating/writing Zutara and your girl is anything but a quitter). Then, I remembered a little headcanon of mine that was born when I rewatched The Cave of Two Lovers and took shape later on when I stumbled on a few meta posts on Tumblr drawing comparisons between the legend of Oma and Shu and Zutara.
> 
> Basically, Zuko and Katara's spirits reincarnate and always find each other and fall in love. These are Oma and Shu's spirits, the hunter's and the girl's spirits, and Yachita's and Akihito's spirits (from the stories Zuko and Katara share in Day 4: Celestial). In short, they are the main characters of the greatest love stories told. The reincarnation cycle also follows the Avatar cycle because I'm a sucker for tying things up in cute little neat bows. I also included one love story/legend native to the Air Nomads about the origin of the basis of their culture and airbending abilities. I can only hope to spin the tale properly in a latter fic, though don't hold your breath. Or, maybe, I'll post it on my Tumblr and call it a day. We'll see.
> 
> For some further clarifications, the prompts fit in an (albeit) loose timeframe. I haven't read any of the comics, though I know there is one about Zuko finding his mom, nor have I seen LOK (and I don't really intend to). Since I'm still salty we didn't get a book 4, in which they could've shown Zutara's eventual growth from platonic to romantic, I will marinate in my saltiness and (possibly????) write the thing myself, filling in the gaps between each of the snapshots I wrote this past week.
> 
> This concludes Zutara Week, folks! It has been an incredibly fun time for me, getting back on my writing groove and creating/consuming some quality Zutara content. Thank you all so, sooooooo much for all the support! Your kudos and comments have made my day (and, yes, I have been caught grinning like a maniac at my phone screen as I replied to you guys, family is worried for my sanity!). If any of you want to chat, hop on over to [lameillusions](%E2%80%9C) in Tumblr and hit me up at any time.


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